The Ministry of Commerce has defamed an Expat of Syrian nationality after a court ruling convicted him of violating the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law and the Trademark System by manufacturing and packaging adulterated sterilizer products, bearing counterfeit trademarks, with the aim of trading them and exploiting the Corona pandemic. He used to market and sell fraudulent products in Riyadh.
The Ministry has published the judicial ruling issued by the Criminal Court in Riyadh, including a fine of one hundred thousand riyals against the violator, one-year imprisonment, besides deporting the expat from the Kingdom after the execution of the verdict and not to be allowed to return for work, also confiscating and destroying the seized products and tools used in fraud, as well as defamation by publishing the verdict in the local newspaper at the expense of the violator.
In details, MC inspection teams, in cooperation with the joint security campaigns in Riyadh and the Food and Drug Authority, have raided a residential villa in Al-Sa’ada neighborhood in Riyadh. This villa was exploited for packing and forging sterilizer products, where 44 thousand packages of disinfectants and fake sterilizers, ready for sale, were seized, in addition to raw materials and machines used for manufacturing such items, also cartons, caps and empty packages ready to be filled. Accordingly, the violation was referred to the concerned authorities for taking the legal measures and penalties in accordance with the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law.
The Ministry of Commerce affirms the continuation of addressing those violating the commercial regulations by imposing the legal penalties against them, since their act pose risk on the health and safety of consumers. Notably, the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law stipulates imposing penalties of up to three-year imprisonment, a fine of up to one million riyals or both, and defamation by publishing the verdict in two local newspapers at the expense of the violator and deporting the illegal labors from the Kingdom.
MC urges all consumers to lodge their reports and complaints against the violating establishments through MC Consumer Call Center (1900), or through the application of a Commercial Violation Report, or via the Ministry’s website.